Read Online The Girlfriend Contract 2 by Lucy Lambert - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Lucy Lambert
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into fists and slammed them down onto the seat. Gwen jumped.
"Why is he doing this? What is it that he's holding over you that gives him this power?" Gwen said.
"Not yet. I can't tell you about that yet. We're not ready for this, Gwen. And he knows it. He's going to win again..."
Gwen put her hand over his fist. It shook beneath her palm, but he didn't try to snatch it away, at least. She got a hint of the anger and frustration boiling inside him.
"No, he's not going to win," she said.
"Just stop it. It's over, Gwen. Oh, don't worry, you can keep the money. This isn't your fault..." he broke in.
She wasn't going to let this happen. Not when she knew now that this could be real.
"He isn't. We're going to go and do these interviews. We're going to go and let them snap all the pictures they want. Who cares if we don't get every question right, or have trouble answering? This has only been going on less than a week, remember. What could they possibly expect, except a couple of young people trying to discover each other?"
"I don't know..." Aiden said. His jaw started working.
Gwen squeezed his hand until he looked at her. "We're going to give them exactly what they expect. which happens to be the exact opposite of what your father expects."
"You're right," he said finally, "I've just been used to him being half a dozen moves ahead of me my whole life."
"Well tonight you're going to get your money's worth," Gwen replied.
Aiden glanced out the window. "We're almost there."
The gala took place at a Hilton. Spotlights around the building bathed it in shifting lights. And, as Gwen saw when the driver pulled the limo up, there was an honest-to-God red carpet!
The valet offered his hand and she accepted. She stepped out, instantly aware of two things. The first was the sheer number of people cordoned off behind red velvet ropes along the carpet. Most of them pointed their cameras at the car, setting off a series of flashes that left Gwen half blind, her eyes filled with multicolored afterimages.
The second was how chilly it felt out there. Somehow, she resisted the urges to throw up a hand in front of her face and hug herself. How do celebrities do this? Gwen wondered. She always saw them on live streams and YouTube videos smiling and posing, waving at people and signing autographs.
Aiden put his hand gently against the small of her back. It felt nice and warm. The only warm spot on her at the moment, really. He gave her a gentle nudge and she started forward. Her first couple steps were a little wobbly, as she'd forgotten about the heels.
Her feet didn't though. They ached and panged in protest, and she realized that she hadn't taken them off in the car to give her feet a break as she'd intended. Tonight was going to be a long night.
"Just smile for the cameras," Aiden said, "Don't worry, as soon as the next car comes up they'll shift their attention away from us."
"Okay... It's just, wow, I'm almost blind," she said, hoping that she'd twisted her lips into a smile and not a grimace. She dreaded thinking about how she must look right then, despite the dress and shoes.
"Don't worry, I'll guide you," he said. And he did, leading her gently with that warm hand of his against her back. Thankfully she just needed to keep moving in a straight line.
They walked past a pretty reporter staring into a camera lens, "And this is Aiden Manning, son of business magnate Bradley Manning, coming up now. Aiden, who is this ravishing creature with you tonight?"
Gwen didn't actually expect Aiden to stop, but he did. He smiled at the camera. He was in his element now, she realized. Putting on a show for the viewers, moving people over to his side of things. She thought of how he'd held her father’s hand in his. What other little rhetorical tricks did Aiden keep tucked away?
"Hi. Please let me introduce Gwen Browning..." he started.
"Are you two seeing each other? And that is a stunning dress!" the reporter asked, shoving the
"Why is he doing this? What is it that he's holding over you that gives him this power?" Gwen said.
"Not yet. I can't tell you about that yet. We're not ready for this, Gwen. And he knows it. He's going to win again..."
Gwen put her hand over his fist. It shook beneath her palm, but he didn't try to snatch it away, at least. She got a hint of the anger and frustration boiling inside him.
"No, he's not going to win," she said.
"Just stop it. It's over, Gwen. Oh, don't worry, you can keep the money. This isn't your fault..." he broke in.
She wasn't going to let this happen. Not when she knew now that this could be real.
"He isn't. We're going to go and do these interviews. We're going to go and let them snap all the pictures they want. Who cares if we don't get every question right, or have trouble answering? This has only been going on less than a week, remember. What could they possibly expect, except a couple of young people trying to discover each other?"
"I don't know..." Aiden said. His jaw started working.
Gwen squeezed his hand until he looked at her. "We're going to give them exactly what they expect. which happens to be the exact opposite of what your father expects."
"You're right," he said finally, "I've just been used to him being half a dozen moves ahead of me my whole life."
"Well tonight you're going to get your money's worth," Gwen replied.
Aiden glanced out the window. "We're almost there."
The gala took place at a Hilton. Spotlights around the building bathed it in shifting lights. And, as Gwen saw when the driver pulled the limo up, there was an honest-to-God red carpet!
The valet offered his hand and she accepted. She stepped out, instantly aware of two things. The first was the sheer number of people cordoned off behind red velvet ropes along the carpet. Most of them pointed their cameras at the car, setting off a series of flashes that left Gwen half blind, her eyes filled with multicolored afterimages.
The second was how chilly it felt out there. Somehow, she resisted the urges to throw up a hand in front of her face and hug herself. How do celebrities do this? Gwen wondered. She always saw them on live streams and YouTube videos smiling and posing, waving at people and signing autographs.
Aiden put his hand gently against the small of her back. It felt nice and warm. The only warm spot on her at the moment, really. He gave her a gentle nudge and she started forward. Her first couple steps were a little wobbly, as she'd forgotten about the heels.
Her feet didn't though. They ached and panged in protest, and she realized that she hadn't taken them off in the car to give her feet a break as she'd intended. Tonight was going to be a long night.
"Just smile for the cameras," Aiden said, "Don't worry, as soon as the next car comes up they'll shift their attention away from us."
"Okay... It's just, wow, I'm almost blind," she said, hoping that she'd twisted her lips into a smile and not a grimace. She dreaded thinking about how she must look right then, despite the dress and shoes.
"Don't worry, I'll guide you," he said. And he did, leading her gently with that warm hand of his against her back. Thankfully she just needed to keep moving in a straight line.
They walked past a pretty reporter staring into a camera lens, "And this is Aiden Manning, son of business magnate Bradley Manning, coming up now. Aiden, who is this ravishing creature with you tonight?"
Gwen didn't actually expect Aiden to stop, but he did. He smiled at the camera. He was in his element now, she realized. Putting on a show for the viewers, moving people over to his side of things. She thought of how he'd held her father’s hand in his. What other little rhetorical tricks did Aiden keep tucked away?
"Hi. Please let me introduce Gwen Browning..." he started.
"Are you two seeing each other? And that is a stunning dress!" the reporter asked, shoving the
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